


One and Only

by bpearl



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Kaihun - Freeform, M/M, maknaerulez, sekai - Freeform, sekairulez
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 04:38:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9368231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bpearl/pseuds/bpearl
Summary: Sehun is in his long way of recovering from a traumatic relationship, he then figures that the process isn't as far too impossible as he had imagined after meeting a certain someone.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cottoncandyboys (mik0rin)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mik0rin/gifts).



> Firstly, I’d like to sincerely apologize for how long it took me to submit this, this is my first time writing fanfiction and it ended up being way more difficult than I had expected! Because of that, I decided to divide the story into 3 parts, so there will be more time for me to finish it as carefully as I planned and as my recipient deserves. Secondly, I’d like to thank my recipient for this prompt, which I’m loving to write, despite all the difficulties. I also want to thank the mod’s never ending patience with me and how understanding the mod has been with my situation. Thank you so much for my beta M for helping me create and develop this plot, I’m deeply grateful to you and your kindness for helping me with the story. Thank you A for your many awesome words of motivation, I wouldn’t have been part of this amazing exchange without you, I love you. And lastly, I would like to thank K for literally putting up with me this entire time, listening to my whines while still supporting me and encouraging me to keep writing, you gave me so many great ideas and I could have never done this without your presence, I love you so much. Anyways, I hope this not-so-good piece of writing is worth the read <3

Oh Sehun could feel every single one of his insecurities hitting him all at once the moment he took his first step into that campus. Suddenly, all the time wasted on his treatment seemed useless as the anxiety washed over him while he walked closer and closer to his new reality, which, hopefully, wasn’t going to suck as much as his past one did.

 _“It’s a brand new opportunity for you to actually live like the person you’ve always wanted to be, so make a good use of it”_ his therapist used to say before he embarked in this hell-like _“adventure”_ , as also described by the same man.

It’s been a year since Sehun dropped his former course to focus on his kinda fucked up mental health, but still, even after all this time, you could say Sehun felt... worn out, to say the least.

Not that type of feeling you get after a week full of exams or loads of work, though, but that one which drains you out almost completely, making you feel like there’s a huge brick inside your chest that’s pulling you to the ground and your lungs are going to fail your pace at any second.

He has been experiencing this pretty much since he started getting serious with The One Who Shall Not Be Named, and it never really faded away. It’s just less aggressive now that he was finally able to let that person go and went through all this type of psychological care during the span of that one year.

“What the hell am I doing here?” Sehun muttered to himself as he stopped at the campus gates to breathe some fresh air and try to cool down his suffocating panic.

Being completely honest with himself, Sehun still did not know how on Earth he was supposed to handle an entire semester of a completely new major course in university. As yet, he clearly had a long way to go until a full recovery.

Well, at least now he was going to be studying something he is actually interested in, which is the complete opposite from when he first got into college. At that time, the only thing he cared about was if his then boyfriend was going to approve of his clothes or his “brand new” haircut (which was basically a half ass copy from some chinese star of whom the guy was a fan and obligated Sehun to cut it just like his). Sehun’s main goal was to feel accepted by the person he admired and loved the most, and if that included being controlled from head to toe like a puppet, let that be it! Well, of course that could have never had a happy ending, taking in consideration how foolish he was at that time compared with his much older and experienced partner. There was never a balance, and, of course, the younger boy was always losing. 

Long story short, Oh Sehun got trapped by his own feelings. He was chained down by the sweet embrace of an abusive relationship that almost cost him his future. Psychological harm is possibly the most destructive type of abuse out there, as it cannot be noticed that easily. In Sehun’s case, the considerable age gap between him and Huang Zitao, his now ex, made him, a lanky, easily influenced seventeen year old, a vulnerable and more than suitable target for the hawk eyes of the older.

They first met at one of those filthy clubs Sehun used to frequent once he entered high school, which was also when he started to fully accept himself as a bissexual teen. He had decided that he needed to explore this, now public, side of him and meet new people with whom he could relate without the fear of being treated with disdain and having his sexuality invalidated. It had happened a lot after his coming out, Sehun was almost used to hearing most of the stupid comments thrown at him: _“Are you sure you aren’t just confused? I mean, you’ve only dated girls until now…”_ or _“Being with only one gender wasn’t enough for you, right? I figure that you must always feel that something is lacking”_ were the most common ones. 

Nevertheless, as annoying as it was, he did not blame them. Sehun would much rather try to understand and explain to his friends how everything worked instead of treating the matter with the same amount of ignorance that they suffered from, and, surprisingly, most of them dealt with it well and always tried their best to make Sehun feel as comfortable as possible with his sexual orientation. 

However, dialogue sometimes was just not enough, forcing Sehun to step away from many so-called friends. That was the price of freedom, he guessed. You are legally free to express yourself in any way you can come up with, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone and you can handle the heavy criticism coming your way from people you’ve never really thought would find you relevant enough to be discussed about on hallways and locker rooms. It was a struggle for him in the beginning, but once he let those type of people go and settled down with his non-homophobic friends, he knew he could count on them to give him the trust and support he needed.

Even so, being the only person among his (now not so many) friends who wasn’t straight had its many downsides, especially when Sehun began to feel a bit lonely and out of place for not having anyone close who could relate to him this way. That was what motivated him to go out of his comfort zone and seek for new experiences.  
Soon enough, the younger boy left the amenity of his bed during the time it was dark outside for the challenging thrill of the night clubs which were famous in town for their pretty diverse frequenters. Those places had everything Sehun needed to feel like home, resulting on several visits during his time off school-related work. Sehun had always loved the buzz he got from the alcohol in association with the loud music and little lightning. 

It was on one of those visits that Oh Sehun had the misfortune of accepting a drink from the man who practically destroyed his life, but oh well, at least it tasted quite nice. It had left a bittersweet flavour at the end of his tongue for the rest of the night, little did Sehun know that that same aftertaste would be the one to go along with his catastrophic fate for the the next three years. 

It had all seemed inoffensive and simple to begin with, Sehun thought it would be a decent way to “fit in” by taking the older’s offer to hang out with his group of friends after the club. All he knew about the guy was that he was also bissexual and had left Qingdao, which the boy later on learned that it was his hometown in China, to study fashion in Seoul. Oh, and also that he and Zitao were 6 years apart, although the considerable age gap didn’t seem to bother any of them. It was, in fact, the complete opposite. Sehun had felt proud of himself somehow, for being able to attract the attention of someone that old and gorgeous. He had finally started to believe that his pitiful self had accomplished something worthy of admiration, and that was probably when he began to enjoy the approval of the new group and seek for it at all costs.

On that day, they only went out for a bite to get to know each other better, but the closer they got, the more suspicious the “hang outs” became. It had started to get a bit weird when he visited one of the group dude’s house for the first time. Sehun still wasn’t sure of how he ended up snorting cocaine off a coffee table together with Zitao and 4 more guys, but that was pretty much what he began to be busy with on Saturday evenings.

It eventually got more frequent, of course, and Sehun found himself severely dependant, although he didn’t give a fuck about it. He was so glad that the group took him in, Sehun almost didn’t feel like his lonely and pathetic self anymore. Now, he only craved for Zitao’s praise, and that’s how the boy found himself a new addiction way stronger than any drug he had been forced to take. 

“I love having you around, Sehun”, said Zitao right before their first kiss, “I can’t believe I didn’t meet you sooner”. They ended up fucking that day, which was so painful Sehun could barely walk the day after. It was okay, though, because Zitao loved having him around.

If Sehun had to describe Zitao in one word, it would definitely be “enticing”. From his mannerisms, to the way the words sounded when they left his lips, he managed to make Sehun so blind by his own infatuation that he became a puppy, ready to take any command from his owner and still love and care for him unconditionally. Even with the most trivial stuff, like his choice of clothes, or what kind of cologne he wore, they always had the final say from “the one and only”: Zitao. And Sehun never saw that as an issue.

Of course his friends tried to warn him about how dangerous his activities off school were getting, especially when they involved drugs and older dudes.

“You should be careful, Sehun.”, had Luhan adverted him once, “It’s never a good idea to hang out with people way older than you, they might take advantage of you or something”.

“Don’t worry, hyung, I am very aware of the consequences of my acts”, tried Sehun to reassure him. 

Luhan scoffed, “Yeah, right.”, Sehun laughed along, too.

They could never understand him, Sehun thought.

The following year consisted on the stress of getting into a good university. It had been pretty difficult for Sehun to keep up his routine with Zitao while still managing to maintain his high scores in school. He obviously had to cut off some things from his list of priorities so he could rearrange his schedule in a way he wouldn’t be affected academically, and, of course, his brilliant self thought it would be plausible to erase his long time friends from that list. 

The younger boy began to see them less and less when he was out of school as time passed, exchanging his precious free time together with Luhan and Junmyeon - both had already gotten into university the year before - for some spare time with his then boyfriend. Surprisingly, Zitao actually encouraged Sehun to study hard so he could follow his steps and become a fashion major in Yonsei University, which was the one the older was currently studying in.

“Seriously, you shouldn’t go out too much” said Zitao on one of his visits “I mean, we already see each other every single week, I don’t see why you’d feel the need to see other people. You need to focus in order to keep your high grades, okay?”

“Okay, Hyung” Sehun had replied.

Sehun tensed a bit after hearing those words. Even though they seemed harmless, he still felt the heaviness on Zitao’s tone every time he mentioned Sehun companies apart from the chinese boy himself. They barely met, and when they did, Sehun had to sit through a 30 minute scolding session coming from Junmyeon, who had been his best friend since he was a child. They tried their best to open Sehun’s eyes to the mess he was involved in, and how Zitao was trying to keep him away from the people who truly loved and cared for him, but they were mostly ignored, or had their words treated with indifference by the younger.

The frustration only got stronger, Sehun would never listen and kept the same behaviour, resulting on a livid Luhan, who basically decided to give up on trying to wake Sehun up from Zitao’s spell. He then stopped coming to their rare meet ups, which made Junmyeon very disappointed, but not really surprised with his friend’s lack of patience and commitment. 

Sehun didn’t seem to care though, he had made it clear that there was nothing wrong or dangerous about the man he was dating, in his view, and they kept seeing each other until Sehun finally got into university.

The boy had always liked to dress well, he also enjoyed fashion shows and creating outfits on those online websites, and Zitao took advantage of those factors to persuade Sehun into believing that that’s what he was supposed to do for his career. It was plausible, and as Sehun couldn’t think of a better option, he started his major course at Yonsei University. That’s when their messed up relationship started to fall apart right by the younger boy’s eyes.

It all seemed like a dream come true to be able to be in the same college as his partner, never really leaving his side and having the same majors. However, when Sehun’s classes started and he found himself curled up in a bathroom stall after having emptied his stomach because of how anxious and helpless he felt , he finally became aware of his current state. His fantasies began to crumble each by each when he realized Zitao wasn’t going to be there for him for the rest of his life, and no matter how good the young boy tried to be for him, it would never be enough.

“I’m going to Europe for my Masters degree, I decided to take the offer for the scholarship” Zitao had said earlier that morning when they met at a park nearby the campus. Zitao had called Sehun the night before saying that he had something really important to tell him. The younger boy thought he was going to give him a ring.

“What? But… you told me you weren’t interested in leaving Seoul” Sehun had replied.

“I never said that” The older boy defended himself “Do you know how much of a great opportunity this is? Aren’t you happy for me?”

Sehun ignored the question, “So, you’re leaving me here, by myself” 

“Stop acting like a fucking child Sehun, I’ve had enough of your selfishness. I thought you’d be happy that your boyfriend got a chance to go to Europe for his degree, but you, once again, never fail to disappoint me” He declared.

“But you promised you’d stay!” Sehun howled “You promised me, Hyung!”

The older boy opened his mouth to argue but then decided to remain silent. “We should end this right now. It isn’t real anymore, Sehun, you’ve become an obligation to me and that’s it. Honestly, I’ve been trying so hard to keep this going, but I can’t tolerate you and your fucking childness anymore.” Zitao was almost yelling in his face, at this point. The younger boy could feel droplets of saliva landing on his face as the other growled at him. “And you know what else? I’ve always pitied you since the goddamn day I decided to take you in, until now, that’s the only thing that kept me from breaking up with you, but I just can’t take it anymore. Goodbye, Sehun”. Sehun was left there, in complete shock and with tears soaking up his coat.

Sehun took a long and careful look at his own reflection on one of those nights when he arrived home feeling like complete shit, and that was when he grasped how dependent he had become of another human being. He had let himself be taken and torn by Zitao in the lowest way possible. He had given himself entirely to the older, but the only thing he got in return was the huge pain of disappointment and loneliness. He had no one to go to, Sehun had pushed away his family and his closest friends in order to be with the one who destroyed him in the end. Sehun didn’t even like fashion that much, to be completely honest. 

The boy abandoned the course later on, deciding to leave it all behind and settle for a fresh start. Thankfully, his family took him in instantly and, for the first time in a while, Sehun felt lucky for having such supportive relatives. Junmyeon was also by his side during all his time on treatment, he had also told him that Luhan, who was also chinese, moved back to China to perceive a new career. Sehun’s chest had tightened a bit after listening to him, he wished he had apologized to him for all he had done before he left, but it was okay, he was decided to redeem himself in the future, after stabilizing himself.

And so, there he was! Shaking from head to toe in the campus gates. He had calmed down a bit and started walking towards where his first class of the day took place, he was still familiar with the environment so it wasn’t that hard to find the right building.

The boy opted for a performing arts major this time, as it was something he truly enjoyed and saw himself doing in the future as a career. He had been part of his former school’s theatre club since middle school and was always involved with every single of its productions, which varied among musicals, plays and dance performances. Sehun had a bit of every talent, be it dancing, singing or acting. Unfortunately, he was forced to quit the club during his senior year as he had to focus on his studies... and on following his ex-boyfriend around. Zitao had pushed the idea of studying arts away from Sehun’s head as soon as the younger boy opened his mouth about the club and how much he had adored being part of it and didn’t want it to end, but now things were different, and Sehun was - still not totally but he would get there eventually - ready to embrace his passion once again and to make something big out of it for himself.

Sehun arrived at the building and checked the timetable he had saved on his cellphone notes for the fourth time that day just to be sure. Yup, that was the place. Two hours of Theatre History to start off the day, he was excited. The boy, who was now leaning against one of the corridor walls, inhaled and exhaled a very deep breath before entering the classroom. This was his new beginning, he was going to be fine.

The class went by pretty fast and Sehun found himself very proud for staying awake the entire time, a part of it was because he was pretty interested about the origins of the European theatre, the other part was just his always present anxiety, which prevented him from falling asleep in many occasions. 

There was still Dance Technique and Musical Theatre classes later that day, and for the first time in ages, Sehun felt confidence. Humbleness aside, the boy knew he was a marvelous dancer, and considering his long term experience on his school’s musical performances, he knew he could sing quite well, too. Of course it’s been a while, but this was his passion and Sehun just needed a little warm up to light up the fire in his chest to pursue improvement and the knowledge he was there for.

He was right, and when he left the main theatre from the Performing Arts department after his last Monday class, he was drenched in sweat. However, Sehun couldn’t be more satisfied with his first day. He was eager to go home and tell his parents all about it, but he decided to head to the bathroom first or else he was sure he would piss his pants on the way home. 

After relieving himself, the boy headed to the main entrance and ran past a huge notice board filled with loads of pamphlets and advertisements. Something called his attention, so he decided to stop and take a look at it. It was a flyer about an audition for a contemporary dance club which was now accepting new members. Oddly enough, it was going to happen on the very next day. Sehun hesitated a bit before ripping off one of the small papers attached to it that contained a cellphone and where the club took place inside the campus, he then noticed it was pretty close to where he would normally have classes at, so he figured it’d be worth a try.

Contemporary dance was a style of performance that Sehun loved, just like hip-hop, but it was harder finding actual classes or dance groups which were focused on this style of dancing. The boy had to join that one at all costs, where else he would find another opportunity like this?

The following day, even with the difficulties to breathe and constant body tremors, the boy directed himself to the dance studio in the main building. Once he got there, he realized the room was empty, so he opted to wait inside until someone decided to show up. Sehun was concerned. Would they let him join the club? What if they’re too rigid and don’t find him good enough? That’s probably what was going to happen, he thought. But before he could think of any more issues and what could go wrong with his decision of going there, someone opened the door rather rashly, snapping Sehun out of his thoughts of regret. He jumped and looked at the boy before him. He was lean with feminine features, but way shorter than Sehun. His hair had a fading purple color which Sehun thought fitted him well. The unknown boy was wearing a white jumper and black sweatpants, and the outfit accentuated his slim waist, attracting the taller boy’s attention. Damn, he was pretty handsome.

Sehun remained silent and unmoving until the purple haired boy turned around to face him. Once Sehun was in his camp of vision, the foreign boy’s eyes widened and he let out a small gasp followed by a hand on his chest.

“Hey, you scared me! Gosh” said the boy while closing the door and slowly putting his hand down. 

Sehun suppressed a laugh and immediately got up from his seat to introduce himself “I-I’m really sorry about that! The door was opened when I got here, so I thought I could wait inside”, he tried not to sound too exasperated.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m just not used to finding people here this early. My name is Taemin, by the way, I’m one of the leaders of the contemporary dance club.” Taemin extended a hand, which Sehun nervously shook “I don’t reckon seeing your face here before, though”

“Ah y-yes, um, I’m Oh Sehun, Performing Arts major” the boy could feel his heart beating erratically against his chest the more he spoke. So, this was the guy he had to speak to in order to join the group. 

“Really? So am I!” the other boy was slightly shorter than Sehun and had to look up to properly talk to him. “I figure you must be new here, then?” he then asked.

“Yes, I actually started yesterday. I saw the club’s pamphlet in the notice board saying you guys were taking in members.” the taller boy looked at Taemin expectantly “I’ve always been very interested on this style of dancing and would love to have the chance to dedicate myself to it more, if I’m allowed to, of course.” Wow. Sehun was surprised by the amount of convincing words he managed to let out all at once without mumbling. That was going to spare him a good impression, he guessed.

“Hm, I see” the shorter boy nodded with a faint smile on his face “You’re welcome to participate in today’s activities so I can see how smoothly you can adapt to our routine. If you do well, you’re in!” Sehun shivered a bit. He was nervous, but he needed to face this challenge. The worst that could happen would be receiving a “no”...which would actually be pretty horrible, but Sehun decided to push that thought aside. He needed to focus.

“Okay, thank you for the opportunity. I’ll do my best” he flashed a forced smile, and the other boy smiled back, wider.

“Great! But hey, if you started yesterday, then this means that I’m your senior!” Taemin declared teasingly, but his line of thought was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of what was probably the loudest group of people Sehun had ever seen.

“Oh, it looks like they’re getting here early” stated the rather surprised shorter boy “Sehun, you should start warming up, we’re going to start soon. Ah! And remember, just relax and have fun, alright?” Taemin gave him a wink and a bump on his shoulder, proceeding to turn back to speak with the people who had just arrived.

After exhaling a surprisingly deep breath, which Sehun didn’t even notice he was holding until now, the boy started stretching. He wasn’t as flexible as he used to be, but again, that’s what he was there for: to improve. 

About five to ten minutes later, Taemin and a guy named Yixing announced that they were starting. Everyone took their place on the spacious room and Sehun chose to stay as near Taemin as possible, so the older boy could have a clear vision of his movements.

The leaders began to explain the purpose of the club and what were they going to be focusing on on that first meeting. They were going to judge everyone’s abilities and then chose who fits best with the group. However, the boy stopped mid-sentence as he frowned in apparent confusion.

“Wait a minute, where’s Jongin?” Taemin mumbled as if for his own self to answer “Did anyone see Jongin?” He then asked louder. “Oh, wait. I forgot nobody here knows him”.

“Did you ask him to come today?” questioned Yixing. His voice was insanely soft.

“Yeah, I wanted him to help us evaluate the participants and everything” answered Taemin, while looking at the door.

“Should we wait for him, then?” suggested Yixing.

Taemin hesitated a bit, but decided to start anyway. However, the moment they agreed to begin showing the routine everyone had to follow, somebody came in, nearly crushing the dance studio’s door.

“Hey! Sorry, everyone, I’m a bit late” the guy was breathing heavily while taking off his coat to reveal a gray tank top with the image of a puppy stamped on it. It was evident that he ran for his life to get there, as he had droplets of sweat going down his face. Sehun had to admit he was a bit taken aback by his sudden appearance. Not because he was startled, though, but because the man was absolutely beautiful. He had a dark brown hair which matched his eyes and caramel skin tone. The young boy noticed how plump and cute the guy’s lips were and the way he pouted while speaking. Sehun did his best not to stare.

“I missed the alarm” the guy mumbled at them apologetically. Taemin looked at the man in disapproval, while Yixing patted his head when he joined them both in the front of the room.

The purple haired boy clicked his tongue before speaking “Alright, guys, this is Kim Jongin. He’s been part of the club for some time now and he will be helping us tonight” Jongin instantly half smiled and nodded, looking around and checking the new faces until he stopped and fixed his gaze right in Sehun’s direction. Sehun immediately turned his head away. 

Honestly, how was Sehun supposed to concentrate on the dance routine when the cutest guy, with the cutest face and the cutest smile he had ever seen stood right in front of him?? Wearing a tank top, for God’s sake??? He did not know yet, but he had to. Actually, he could try using the boy’s attractiveness to help him assimilate the choreo they were about to show in an easier way. Yeah, he could do that. Sehun shook his head, it wasn’t time to pin over cute dudes, he needed to dance.

To Sehun’s surprise, everything went by more smoothly than he thought it would. Some of the dance moves were a bit difficult to follow, so the young boy tried his best to let his heart out so he could be able to express the right amount of feeling while executing them. He had to make an impact, dancing wasn’t only moving your body here and there, it involved showing pure emotions through the raw movements of their flesh and muscles. That wasn’t a talent for everyone. Sehun also had to admit that Jongin was of a great help to his performance. It was clear that the other boy loved what he did, he exhaled passion and it only made Sehun more inspired and eager to give himself up completely to the flow of the song. He was lost in the hard melody. Oh, how much he’d missed this feeling. He couldn’t believe he almost let someone take that away from him. 

“Okay, everyone, that was it for today! The results will come out on Friday, you all did great.” claimed a very sweaty Taemin.

“Before we finish, I think everyone deserves a round of applause for your hard work. Thank you for all of you who spared some time to be here today, immersed is this incredibly rich form of art that is contemporary dancing” finished Yixing, with a bright and satisfied grin. 

They all clapped and resumed on dissipating from the studio. Sehun headed straight to his backpack so he could get a towel to wipe away the sweat from his body’s upper half. His arms and legs burned, but pain had never felt so fulfilling. 

Before he could leave the studio, though, he was cornered by the guy he was pinning for earlier. Sehun stopped in his tracks and tried to keep his usual emotionless everyday face, when, in fact, he just wanted to run far away from there.

“Hey, you’re Sehun, right?” the dark haired boy asked rather rushingly.

“Uh, yeah. It’s me” Sehun let out, trying to sound nonchalant about the sudden approach. His palms were starting to sweat.

“I kept my eye on you the entire time we were doing the routine, you were amazing!” said a very enthusiastic Jongin “Honestly, you were truly incredible, man” Sehun couldn’t believe his ears.

The boy stared at him, wide eyed. “R-really?”

“Yup, your technique is really impressive. Your movements were pretty sharp and concealed, but still trespassed so much emotion, too! Woah, you really stood out” Sehun tensed a bit at the clearly exaggerated compliments, and Jongin only realized a moment later how weird it was for him, a complete stranger, to describe the other boy’s dance in such a detailed way, he had lost himself a bit. Jongin saw the look in Sehun’s face and felt ashamed for not being able to hold back his excitement. 

“Um, sorry” he laughed nervously “Didn’t mean to sound creepy or anything, I just quite enjoyed your performance” said Jongin scratching the back of his head.

Now it was Sehun’s turn of explaining himself “N-no, it’s okay! Thank you for your compliments” he slightly bowed, trying to hide the faint warmth he felt on his cheeks “I think I’ll have to go now. Thank you again, you are an amazing dancer, as well. I feel honored.” Sehun meant it.

“Oh, stop it” Jongin waved his hand “But, yeah, see you around. Good luck on the results, I’m sure they will pick you” he then winked. He really looked like Taemin when he did that, Sehun figured.

Sehun left the studio right after the rather awkward but uplifting conversation. His chest was fueled with pride and he thought he was going to explode at any second. It seemed like his immense love for being praised was still present, and stronger than ever. It was different this time, tough. Now he didn’t feel like he had to try so much or hurt and lower himself, he just needed to continue doing what made him feel all warm and ecstatic inside, just needed to continue following his passion. The boy still couldn’t absorb Jongin’s compliments, Sehun felt like he could run a marathon from how happy he felt, regardless of his burning muscles. He couldn’t wait for Friday to come.

\--

As expected, Friday came and the first thing Sehun did the moment he arrived at the campus was checking the notice board, which was where Yixing said they’d put up the list of the people who got into the club. The boy sighed in relief after seeing his name there. Jongin was right, after all.

The rest of his day goes by as usual, until it was time for him to head for the dance studio again. According to the notice board, the club meetings would resume on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 5:30pm every week, which perfectly fitted with Sehun’s classes and made everything easier. He had to spare some time to thank the gods for that, later.

Now, he needed to stretch. 

The room looked emptier than when Sehun came for the auditions, probably because it was a popular club among the students and every single art major seemed to want to be part of it despite its apparent selectiveness. That day, they introduced themselves to the new members and presented their major goals for the club’s next performance project they wanted to start working on.

In short, they wanted a live street performance somewhere near the campus, probably at one of the parks that were the main meeting point for the students to go and take a break from their classes. Several pairs were set together by the leaders for them to create and develop the general idea of dancing in the middle of the streets for anyone who wanted to come closer to witness it into an actual choreography together, focused on modern/contemporary dancing, of course.

Sehun couldn’t believe his luck when Taemin decided to pair him up with nobody else than Kim Jongin, the cute dancer from the first day he went to the studio who complimented his dancing style with a little too much excitement. His heart skipped a beat faster at this lovely memory, even though that was probably more because of the fulfilling excitement of being praised by a much more skilled dancer than him, than the fact that Jongin was cute… at least that’s what Sehun hoped. 

“Honestly, I think you two would look great dancing together” Taemin had told him after it was all set up “And, since you’re new here, Jongin could also help you out along the process”

It was reassuring to know he could count on a way more experienced dancer, regardless. The closest Sehun ever got from actually creating an entire brand new choreo was when he had a 30 seconds solo at one of his school’s musicals and was obligated to erase some of the steps from the original choreography he found too hard to execute. The boy ended up adapting them to some easier ones he came up with, but that was it. Other than that he’d never had any similar experiences, that’s why he needed Jongin’s help.

All of the pairs were then left talking about their performances, so the rest of the meeting basically consisted on Jongin explaining to Sehun how much he enjoyed creating choreos and his general idea for their display. 

“As the central point of the project is to utilize the elements we can find on the spot to create an impact through dance, I think we can use something that spreads all over the place the more we move, you know?” Jongin suggested “Like, I don’t know, flower petals? Or maybe leaves-”

“How about water?” Sehun interrupted him. He understood where the boy before him was trying to get, Jongin wanted to dance on something that spilled all around while they motioned their bodies, probably to create a bigger impact and emphasize their body moves.

“Water?” Sehun noticed Jongin’s eyes sparkled in interest.

“Yeah, we could, like, dance on the water. I saw that on a brazilian play I watched on youtube, once. They spilled water all over the stage during the scenes, and everything they did along the acts involved spilling even more water to keep them and the scenario completely drenched. I’d never ever payed attention to the effect of water on people’s bodies during a performance, but it all seemed rougher and it gave off a quite raw vibe, as they were also barefoot.” Sehun was never good with words. Everything he had just spoken sounded like complete nonsense in his head, but he hoped Jongin had understood the point. “Well, I also thought of sand, but I guess it would be way more annoying to get rid of it from our pants in the end of the performance.” He tried to joke, and the other dancer laughed.

“That’s brilliant!” Jongin was still smiling while he said that “We could dance near the water fonts on the center of the park, loads of people walk around that area so I guess it would be a pretty cool location. What do you think?”

Sehun agreed. Oh, the water fonts. How long has it been since he last went there? He couldn’t remember exactly, but it had been with Zitao. That’s where they broke up. Closing his eyes for a second, the boy allowed himself to think of something else as he felt the discomfort inside his chest intensifying. Something that actually mattered: the performance. They opted for a song with no lyrics, for which Jongin had quite a lot of suggestions.

“I can text you the songs I have in mind so you can give me your opinion about what’s best for us. And you can also send me the ones you’re thinking about, is it okay for you?” asked Jongin.

“Uh, yeah. Totally.” Sehun felt nervous about giving the other boy his contact number, to be completely honest, but he then figured it was necessary since they were now dance partners. Jongin gave him his phone so he could type his number, and Sehun did the same, while still hesitating a bit. 

“Here” said Jongin as he gave back Sehun’s iphone. The taller boy remained silent. 

They decided to meet again on Thursday to arrange the details about the song so they could start planning the choreo on the next day. In the end, Sehun couldn’t think of any other song apart from the ones Jongin had sent him so they opted for a piano melody called One & Only. According to Jongin, it was an adaptation of a song from a group Sehun had never heard before, although they were apparently pretty popular. He didn’t really mind, though, he just adored the song.

The process of inventing a choreo was way harder than Sehun had expected. He was glad to have Jongin there to make it all less difficult, but it still was a pain in the ass to come up with moves that fit the groove of the song they picked and the feel it gave off. It was okay, though, because it meant Sehun was learning and constructing new things. He was aware that he would grow even more as a dancer after it all ends, so he endured. 

After the one month and a half they’ve had until the performance, the pair managed to come up with a pretty unique piece. Along the many rehearsals they had, Sehun became aware of the amount of chemistry he and Jongin shared as a pair of dancers. It’d started to bother the boy the overwhelming effect he suffered from by the end of every practice, most likely caused by the entrancing way they motioned their bodies together in tempo. It seemed like they were immersed into their own world, all they focused on during the act was each other as the music flowed through their attentive ears. Both had completely different dancing styles, which contrasted beautifully while still merging into one amid the melody. 

Jongin’s dichotomy was insanely alluring as he rotated between light, but steady moves, and strong ones full of impact, causing anyone who witnessed it to shed at least a single tear by how mesmerizing he was. His expressions were no joke and it was clear that he not only used his body to dance, but his soul as well belonged side by side with the sweet harmony. The man’s striking delicacy complemented Sehun’s fierce execution. The latter dancer moved like a whip, quick and sharply while still maintaining the exact amount of smoothness required. His arms and legs seemed to move precisely, always keeping the right angles as to form geometric body figures. 

It was like this that they were able to complete and successfully present the choreography with admirable symmetry, apart from their many diverse characteristics. Among spins, turns and jumps, the pair ended up keeling right in front of each other, staring deeply into one another’s eyes as they breathed heavily in attempt to recover the oxygen their lungs were lacking. Sehun had experienced such passion before, his heart was racing and he felt so, so alive at that moment, he wanted it to last forever. It was probably the greatest moment for a performer, the moment of pure ecstasy and expectation right after they finish their act and right before the applauses. Eventually, he started hearing the crowd around them furiously clap and cheer, only then he came to reality and started to shake viciously because of how wet, cold and euphoric he was. They both got up and bowed with their hands clasped together, they taller boy hoped Jongin wouldn’t notice how tightly he was squeezing.


End file.
